Ask, Seek, Knock - Do Matthew 7:7-12

Ask, Seek, Knock - Do Matthew 7:7-12

To begin with, lets read our text for today.

Matthew 7:7–12 “ “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. 9 Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent? 11 If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him! 12 Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.”

This isn't just about prayer which is prosuchē to speak to God to one you know is higher than you - remember the context, this is again what is required to exceed the righteousness of the pharisees.Matthew 5:20 “ For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.”

Loving God and loving people. Not the syrupy wishy-washy love of the world, but a love that lives in true morality toward both.

Prayer in the life of a believer is a powerful thing. Not because our words have power - but because of the Lord we seek and what it takes for us to truly pray. Spurgeon remarked that even holiness was an essential part of prayer! What did the angels cry out in heaven beside the throne? Happy happy happy? Joy joy joy? No they cried Revelation 4:8 “ The four living creatures, each having six wings, were full of eyes around and within. And they do not rest day or night, saying: “Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, Who was and is and is to come!””

Holiness is essential to power in prayer: the life must knock while the lips ask and the heart seeks.

“Knock!”, Volume 29, Sermon #1723 - Matthew 7:12

Charles Spurgeon

So lets ask the Lord to bless us us as we examine our text today.

Matthew 7:7–8 “ “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.”

Now the greek word Ask given here is “Aiteite” and the verb here is present, active, imperative. Which you might say is keep on asking. The same thing with knocking. We keep asking, knocking and by inference seeking. Note here that Christ says we as sinners, can seek God, cry out to Him. Jesus tells us here that if we continue, He will answer.

This is why we are told to 1 Thessalonians 5:16–18 “ Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”

You get it? Jesus is speaking absolutely of Gods love for you. To talk to you, fellowship with you. Thats why even as a Christian we are to be holy so that we can fellowship with Him. Also on a slight rabbit trail, people try to say that Paul made up the Christian religion but we see right here principles from the Gospels in his teachings.

Not a self-righteous hypocritical holiness but one born from walking in the Spirit with Him!

How or what do we ask? We have a template given to us in Matthew 6:5–15, first that we not be hypocrites in our prayer. Dont use vain repetitions just to be heard, remember who you pray to, that God knows your needs, to be forgiving as forgiven, to see our requirements and failings.

Not fellowshipping with Jesus leads to battle in all of us, with all of us James 4:1–3 “ Where do wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in your members? 2 You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. Yet you do not have because you do not ask. 3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures.” If you ask selfishly, then thats what you get, emptiness, nothing.

Philippians 4:6–7 “ Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication (asking/seeking), with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; 7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”

We will alway get our daily needs when we walk in Christ. Jesus continues -

Matthew 7:9–11 “ Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent? 11 If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!”

Jesus is teaching who? Who is His audience here?

T> Matthew 4:24–5:2 “ Then His fame went throughout all Syria; and they brought to Him all sick people who were afflicted with various diseases and torments, and those who were demon-possessed, epileptics, and paralytics; and He healed them. 25 Great multitudes followed Him—from Galilee, and from Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and beyond the Jordan. 5:1 And seeing the multitudes, He went up on a mountain, and when He was seated His disciples came to Him. 2 Then He opened His mouth and taught them, saying:” back

These same people jesus says, are evil. v11 if you then being evil, The word is ponēroi - bad, immoral, wicked, evil. Jesus looks at even His apostles and says, y’all are sinners. To those who thought salvation was guaranteed by being born to the people this would be a big shock.

Matthew 7:12 “ Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.”

Big verse eh? Couple of things, hold here and turn to Luke 6:27–35 “ “But I say to you who hear: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you. 29 To him who strikes you on the one cheek, offer the other also. And from him who takes away your cloak, do not withhold your tunic either. 30 Give to everyone who asks of you. And from him who takes away your goods do not ask them back. 31 And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise. 32 “But if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. 33 And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. 34 And if you lend to those from whom you hope to receive back, what credit is that to you? For even sinners lend to sinners to receive as much back. 35 But love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High. For He is kind to the unthankful and evil.”

this again, like in Matt 5, is what it means to surpass the righteousness of the pharisees. This is about what it means to follow the law and prophets. Perfection is the requirement. Of which only one could walk that perfect walk. Jesus

Now, the more you seek to obey the law and prophets the more you’ll look like this. This is the law and the prophets. Reminder the law and prophets are what we call the old testament. All of the law was moses in the torah, the rest is the tanakh which all the writers of the remainder are considered prophets. Even Psalms/prov/etc. This doesn't include the apocrypha.

So many things here. First thing is to ignore our old ideas that this is how we have to live to be saved or prove our salvation. Though it is true, this is a not a Golden Rule. Its a rule you cannot live up to. Though we should seek to live it but in a state of love, not slavish obedience to a law.

turn with me to Matthew 22:34–40 “ But when the Pharisees heard that He had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together. 35 Then one of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, and saying, 36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?” 37 Jesus said to him, “ ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”” the subject of our faith has always been Him. And now Jesus.

holiness, obedience, following Him means something. It looks like this but it always means something but it is not our means of salvation nor how we maintain it. Paul said in Romans 13:8–10 “ Owe no one anything except to love one another, for he who loves another has fulfilled the law. 9 For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery,” “You shall not murder,” “You shall not steal,” “You shall not bear false witness,” “You shall not covet,” and if there is any other commandment, are all summed up in this saying, namely, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 10 Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.”

This is what exceeding the righteousness of the pharisees looks like. Its what Jesus looks like. Which is why we need to take off the old man, put on the new (Ephesians 4:22–24)

That holiness is what we see Biblically as walking in the Spirit versus the flesh. When we walk in Christis holiness we can knock on door of heaven by crying out from our heart to the Lord. Its powerful but not your power. Our faith is like weak seeds. He is the one that moves mountains. Pray

Moody said of prayer,

We are to ask with a beggar’s humility, to seek with a servant’s carefulness, and to knock with the confidence of a friend.

D. L. Moody

Prevailing Prayer: What Hinders It? (1884)

Dwight Lyman Moody (Evangelist)

Are you careful approaching your master? Or do you try to command Him? Making demands, pretending to be something you are not? Or are you going to your father, knowing we have fallen, and need to be picked back up.

Pray